Fastening for corsets



(No Model.)

0. H. LITTL-ETON. FASTENING FOR GORSETS.

No. 462,054, Patented Oct. 27, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COVINGTON II. LI'FL ETON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FASTENING FOR CORSETS.

PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,054, dated October 27, 18 9l.

Application filed August '7, 1891- Serial No, 402,015. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COVINGTON H. LITTLE- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Corset-s and Analogous Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and durable fastening which may be sold by the yard or in sets or lengths suitable for one garment, and which is provided with hooks and adapted for application to the side bodies of corsets, dress-waists, and analogous articles for use in connection with a lacing cord or string.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of a short piece of fastening embodying features of my invention and showing a hook protruding through the fold of a braid and provided with transverselyn'anging shoulders engaging the interior portion of the fold of the braid, and also showing a staple or clip inserted through the braid and through the eyes of the hook and clinched. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line x to of Fig. 1, showing the staple or clip inserted through the eyes of the hook and through both members of the fold of the braid and clinched. Fig. 3 is a like view showing the staple or clip inserted through the eyes of the hook and through only one member of the fold of the braid and clinched. Fig. at is an elevation of the staple or clip. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the mode of application of my improved fastening to corsets and analogous articles. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the braid forming one of the component parts of my improved fastening, showing the same thickened at the center thereof for supporting the shoulders of the hooks; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, A is one of the hooks forming part of the improved fastening. In the present instance this hook is constructed of a doubled Wire a, having the doubled portion thereof bent to form a hook a and having the shank thereof formed by bending the free ends of the doubled wire upward, as at a, into line with the center of curvature of the bill a and then separating said wires to form shoulders a and then bending said wires parallel with each other, as at a and then forming the free ends of the Wires into eyes a but the hook A maybe made in any other preferred manner, the object being to provide square shoulders1I. 6., shoulders rang' ing transversely of the billfor engaging the fold of the tape and eyes for the reception of clips or staples, so that the shoulders may support the draft or strain upon the respective hooks of the series and so that the staples orclips may serve 'to prevent lateral displacement or turning of the respective hooks of the series of hooks.

b is a staple or clip, preferably constructed by bending a piece of wire having pointed ends I) into the form shown in Fig. 4. However, other preferred forms of staples or clips may be employed.

0 is a strip of braid, tape, or ribbon, either plain or ornament-ed and of uniform thickness throughout, Figs. 2 and 3, or thickened or made heavy at the central portion 0*, as shown in Fig. 7, either by the introduction of extra warps or in any other manner, in order to increase the wearing qualities and to augment the strength thereof at the points which support the shoulders of the respectivehooks without materially increasing the cost of the tape and without unduly increasing its bulk at the edges.

In use the bills a of the hooks A are inserted through the central portion of the braid, and the latter is then folded over upon itself, as'shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the shoulders a of the hooks a bear upon the interior of the folded portion of the tape a, whereupon a clip or staple Z) is inserted through the tape, so that each of the clips or staples passes through the eyes a of a hook A and serves to retain it against end play or rotary motion.

It may be remarked that the fastening device may be caused to pass through both members of the folded tape, as indicated in Fig. 2, or, if preferred, the fastening device may be inserted through only one member of the folded tape, as indicated in Fig. 3. In either 'case the braid or tape is not cut or in- Jured, because the points of the clip or staple penetrate it by passing between its component threads. After each clipv or staple has been inserted in proper position the points or prongs 1) thereof are bent back upon themselves, or, in other Words, are folded in toward the center, so that each of the hooks A is firmly attached to the tape 0 by the contact of the shoulders with the fold and is held against end play by a clip or staple.

In practice the hereinabove-described dressstay tape may be manufactured entirely by machinerythat is to say, the tape is folded, a series of hooks are inserted through the fold thereof, and the clips or staples are applied by the automatic operation of a single machine.

The preferred mode of application of my improved d ress-s tay tape is illustrated in Fig. 5, in which jt will be seen that a tape 0 is attached to each of the side bodies D and D of a garment, it being understood that the hooks are so placed in the tape 0 with reference to each other as that two of the hooks are in alignment at the top and the remaining hooks are staggered throughout the other portions of the garment, so that a cord E maybe attached to one of the upper hooks and then laced into the others and drawn tight or loosened without causing the respective side bodies of the garment to be drawn, puckered, or otherwise displaced, and the garment may be tightened or loosened by the simple operation of drawing or loosening the cord 6. Moreover, in use the parts of the garment which are under the greatest pressure will cause the slack in the string to be taken up at such points, thus permitting the garment to expand and affording the wearer freedom and comfort of movement. It will be observed that the point of the bill a of each of the hooks is located beyond the edge of the fold of the tape, so that the string when inserted into place does not tend to wear or fray the edge of the folded portion of the tape. Moreover, by this construction the bend of the bill a lies substantially ina plane with the upper surface of the tape, so that the hooks do not project above the general plane of the garment, and therefore do not tend to cause the outside of the garment itself to become wrinkled or to present an uneven surface. Another ad vantage of this construction is that the braid itself may be covered with a facing of the material of the garment, whereby the finish and appearance of the garment are rendered very attractive.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a fasteningtape for corsets and analogous purposes, consisting of a tape folded on itself and having perforations at intervals in its folded edge, in combination with a series of hooks formed with attaching-eyes, laterallyextending shoulders, which are square at their front portions and lie coincident with the fold of the tape and having hooks or bills, the latter passed through the perforations in the tape, and the body or shank of the hook inclosed between the folds of the tape and secured thereto by staples passed through the eyes of the hook and upset or clinched, substantially as described.

2. As an improved manufacture, a fastening for garments such as corsets and analogous purposes, consisting of a folded tape thickened at the center thereof, a series of hooks provided, respectively, with eyes, abill, and shoulders ranging transversely of said bill, and clips or staples, said bills being inserted through the thickened portion of the tape, said shoulders being in contact with the interior of the fold, and the clips or staples being inserted through the tape and eyes of the respective hooks and clinched, all substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signaturein the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.COVINGTON H. LITTLETON.

Vitnesses:

THOMAS M. SMITH, A. B. SroUeHroN. 

